The Secretary General of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) who also doubles as the outgoing Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has narrated how President Yoweri Museveni is using National Unity Platform (NUP) troubles including negotiating the comeback of their president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) and releasing of political prisoners to silence grassroot mobilizers who are struggling to overthrow his government.
Ssemujju, a veteran political journalist warned NUP leaders that before entering any negotiations with Museveni, they should know that they are dealing with a very confiscated personal who uses his power to silence the opposition through diversion.
“NUP is not going to be the first party to have dialogue with Museveni, first it was Buganda Kingdom top leadership and then Dr Kizza Besigye in 2016. Museveni is not interested in national dialogue but he is interested in how he calm the political situation that threatens his power and it all happens after elections where he uses diplomats like Adonia Ayebale and religious leaders as he is doing right now with NUP leadership,” Ssemujju said.
He claimed that Museveni understands that currently NUP supporters are interested in seeing their boss Bobi Wine at his Magere home with his family. They also want their political prisoners released, so in solving these issues, he is very sure that it will divert the minds of Ugandans as he cements his family rule.
More Read
Ssemujju insisted that Museveni used the same trick when he was not in good terms with Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi’s leadership at Mengo when he invited him for negotiations as Mengo was demanding for federal governance.
He alleged that Museveni arrested some of the leaders who were spear heading the demands and among them was the current Buganda Kingdom Premier Charles Peter Mayiga, the Kingdom Information State Minister Owekitiibwa Medard Lubega Ssegona and Omukungu Betty Nambooze.
When he invited the Kabaka, the issue shifted from demanding for federal and properties confiscated by president Milton Obote government in the 1962 crisis to releasing of the Kingdom leaders. When they were released, people celebrated and praised him for being a good man and the pressure he was having cooled.
Semujju divulged that when it came to Besigye, when his supporters threatened his power insisting that he stole their 2016 victory, Museveni organised a dialogue spearheaded by a prominent Swedish minister but inside him he just wanted to have a photo with Besigye and use it to silence his supporters a plot Besigye saw and refused to meet him.
During the dialogue talks, Besigye supporters calmed down thinking that something big was coming out of the meeting and even abandoned the talks when Besigye insisted on dealing with papers not meeting him physically.
“Museveni has created a situation where any person meeting him has to be looking for money or a job and it is the reason why many opposition leaders are scared of meeting him as it is done in other countries,” Ssemujju said.
However, Ayebale the Ugandan representative to United Nations and also president Museveni’s special envoy insists that his boss is open to national dialogue especially if it concerns a political leader like Bobi Wine and his supporters.
The development comes amidst reports that the United States ambassador to Uganda William Popp, British High Commissioner to Uganda Lisa Chesney and other religious leaders and leading negotiations to have Bobi Wine comeback to Uganda peacefully without him being threatened with criminal charges.
Sources claim that Museveni assured the diplomats that his government will not charge Bobi Wine and other political prisoners arrested after the 2026 general elections will be released as a sign of his readiness to solve the issues at hand.
He even directed the withdraw of military personal from Bobi Wine’s Magere home.
Sources said that Museveni is fighting to contain Bobi Wine well knowing that his foreign enemies can use him to create unrest in Uganda and it is the reason why he has dispatched his confidants to talk to a section of NUP elected leaders to cooperate in the coming government.
“There are plans to help some of them in court not to lose their seats in election petitions filed against them. Don’t be surprised when some NRM winners are sacrificed to appease Bobi Wine and his supporters by reversing their victory in courts of law,” a State House source said.
However, Bobi Wine recently rubbished any talk involving negotiations to have his freedom and return to Uganda insisting that has no trust in Uganda’s religious leaders.
He narrated how Dr Stephen Kazimba Mugalu and others visited his Magere home and warned his wife Barbra Itungo to advises her husband not to create any trouble in the country.
